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The Clean Vic, which will exclusively sell low and no alcohol drinks (picture: Sainsbury’s)

Alcohol and summer in Britain famously go hand-in-hand. At the merest rumour of the sun, many of us to head straight to the nearest pub and pay £5 a pint for the privilege of jostling for space on the pavement outside.

But, as fun at is may be, getting drunk every time the temperature reaches a scorching 15 degrees can begin to take a toll on your health.

Happily, there’s good news for people who don’t drink, and for the internal organs of the rest of us: this July, Sainsbury’s is launching ‘The Clean Vic’, a pop-up pub in central London which will exclusively serve no or low alcohol drinks.

This means you can now partake in the classic British summertime experience — without suffering a horrible, sweaty hangover the next day.

Opening on the 24 and 25 July, the pub will serve a range of 20 low or alcohol-free drinks, from craft beer Lucky Saint to Celtic Soul — a low-alcohol distillate with a flavor resembling whiskey.

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Entry costs £5, which includes two free drinks and bar snacks — which is certainly better value for money than your average London pub.

If you want to delve a little deeper, you can take a mocktail-making master class (run by Millie Gooch, founder of the Sober Girl Society) or attend a beer-tasting session, both of which cost £12 and must be booked in advance.

So why now? Well, with one quarter of British adults saying they want to reduce their alcohol intake and almost one third of 16-24 year olds not drinking at all, low or no alcohol drinks are becoming more popular than ever. Sainsbury’s have recorded a 31.8% increase in sales in the last twelve weeks alone.

Alcohol-free cocktails (Picture: Vitalina/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Anne Cooper, Buyer at Sainsbury’s, explains: ‘We’re seeing a really exciting spike in the no and low alcohol category, which has been growing since 2001.

‘With an increasing number of products now available,’ she continues, ‘those who want to hold off on alcoholic beverages don’t need to miss out on the experience of enjoying a beer with friends or even a mocktail made with a delicious non-alcoholic distillate.’

If you’re not free for the weekend of The Clean Vic, or you don’t live in London, then don’t worry — you needn’t miss out on the sober fun. In recent years, a range of alcohol-free pubs have popped up across the U.K.

Londoners has Redemption, an alcohol-free bar which encourages revelers to ‘spoil themselves without spoiling themselves.’ There are branches in Shoreditch and Notting Hill.

Liverpool boasts its own low-alcohol cocktail bar and restaurant, Bar Brink, the profits of which go towards supporting people struggling with alcoholism. Bar Sobar in Nottingham, meanwhile, is also run by an alcohol charity; it serves food and hosts a range of events.